Kia EV9 Review

Motors and performance

The EV9 is surprisingly fast, despite its bulk. Even the rear-wheel drive Kia EV9 Air, which makes do with a single motor and a comparatively meagre 200bhp, gets to run up to 112mph and will hit 62mph in 9.4 seconds. Not bad for such a large and heavy car, and it feels gutsy enough on the road, too. 

If you order the all-wheel drive, you can reach up to 120mph courtesy of dual motors and a mighty 378bhp. Because the maximum torque can be increased from 600 to 700 Nm for short periods, the sprint to 62mph takes as little as 5.3 seconds - as long as you've paid for the performance upgrade. If you don't, it takes 6.0 seconds, which is hardly slow and to be honest we wouldn’t worry about the upgrade as it’s more than rapid enough on UK roads.

This puts the EV9 on par with most electric SUVs on this side, such as the Tesla Model Y or the Tesla Model X, and leaves the the ID.Buzz in the dust – even with the new more powerful versions. 

We've only driven the more powerful all-wheel drive version, and many buyers will likely opt for this model. It puts its power down on the road in a calm fashion – accelerating from a set of traffic lights isn't a neck-snapping experience like it is in a Tesla Model X, but there's more than enough poke to get up to speed quickly on motorway slip roads, for instance, or for overtaking that slow moving tractor on a country road.  It’s reassuringly muscular, the EV9, even if it doesn’t feel like a sports SUV in the way that some rivals do. 

Drive and handling

You'll have noticed that the EV9 isn't exactly small, and it certainly feels its size when you're sitting behind the wheel. Cleverly, though, the big Kia isn't overwhelming or cumbersome to drive – it has a nice, solid feeling, and despite the car's heavy weight it doesn't roll too dramatically in corners. It feels grippy and surefooted, which is surprising for such a large vehicle, and that goes for the rear-wheel drive Air as well as the much faster, all-wheel drive variants. 

The EV9 may come with some large wheels but Kia has been clever with the car's suspension and has achieved a good balance between feeling slightly sporty yet comfortable at the same time. Even more impressive given that the EV9 rides on standard suspension, rather than the adaptive air suspension that many posh SUVs opt for. 

It soaks up potholes and poor quality roads with aplomb, and yet feels impressively agile on tighter country roads with great steering weighting. Factor in how hushed it is on the move, and we predict the EV9 will be a brilliant car for long journeys. 

Of course, there is a limit what the chassis engineers have been able to achieve, and once you try pushing the EV9 hard in a corner it can’t hide its 2.7-tonne weight. Generally, while the Kia is satisfying to drive even on a nice country road, it’s still the sort of car that encourages a more relaxed pace.  

What is a shame is that there’s no rear-axle steering on the EV9, which would have made it more manoeuvrable in tight spaces. As it is, the big Kia can feel a bit unwieldy in tight spaces, and you’ll probably think twice about winding through and awkward multi-storey car park. 

Naturally, there's a full suite of driving modes, including a sport setting to unleash the motors' full power, and a number of off-road modes to help if things get slippery. The EV9 is not meant to be a rival for a Discovery in the mud, but it should be enough to help in snow or a damp grassy field, and the fact that it can tow up to 2500kg is a huge bonus. 

You can also tweak the brake regeneration with the paddles on the steering wheel, and there's a one-pedal setting. The latter is well set up and delivers strong brake regeneration without feeling grabby.